A Pleasant Interruption, starring Jamie Madison Gates
by journey-scribe
Summary: I think I wrote this scene years ago and just stumbled across it today. I may later continue the story - I did sort of have a plot in mind at the time! Starring Ben Gates' little sister, Jamie, this short depicts Ben as a brother who's protective but generally amused toward his sister's attempts to be normal in the world, quite unlike the rest of the Gates family. Hope you enjoy!


p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" "So that was my first day at the university. Obviously, they were already impressed by my athletics scholarship – so they actually tried me out for the football team right off. And do I even need to get into how they made me their star quarterback?" /span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" Jamie's eyes widened once again from their drooping state. "Mm, no, you don't," she answered wearily. Such one-sided conversation had continued throughout most the date at her apartment. Her roommate was in the other room; watching a chick flick with a friend. And here Jamie was, seated on her couch with a watered down soda and miserable with the cutest guy she'd ever seen…also the most self-centered and egotistical. /span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" "Well, I think it was only a week into the season when the Coach decided I was good enough for offense. And as he began to see how quick on my feet I was and how good an arm I had…he just couldn't resist, you kno-?"/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" Only now did he, Derek by name, catch sight of someone pushing the door open, carrying their own set of keys. The visitor was a man, probably in his 30s, dressed in jeans and a dark sweater./span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" "Jamie," he greeted with his familiarly gentle voice. Her nut brown eyes could hardly believe what they beheld – once she forced herself mentally awake again. /span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" "Ben!" But, in that instant, when she noticed how her cute date was reacting to what he'd consider a 'geek' being so welcome there – she wasn't sure if she should be happy to see or desperate to get rid of her older brother./span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" Before she could think of a reaction, Ben had tossed his stuff on a dining chair and sauntered his way toward the couple. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything," he stated with a half-smile/half-smirk – one Jamie knew to mean he felt the complete opposite way than his words suggested./span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" "What are you doing here, Ben?" Jamie asked, trying to hide the tension in her eyes and shoulders. She meaningfully glanced at Derek several times – who was currently just watching Ben with a condescending lack of curiosity. /span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" "Oh, I thought we'd hang out – I brought some tea, pizza, information about the Lost Speech of Moses…"/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" Jamie's hand lifted to her mouth with a start when she gasped. "What? Really?" Her gaze moved to Derek, and her amazed look was the only reason Derek said anything to imply the subject might be vaguely interesting. /span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" "Cool. Moses was that guy who got swallowed by the whale, right?"/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" Jamie barely refrained from laughing, but could not hold back a wide smile./span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" "…No, that was Jonah." Ben answered simply, his eyes twinkling with slight amusement, but he wasn't about to be rude and laugh at his little sister's boyfriend./span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" "Umm," Jamie began before her brother would say more. "Well, they're kind of similar." She tried to make it less humiliating for him, but then it was Ben's turn to speak up./span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" "The only well-known similarity was…they were both called to save a group of people…Moses was a Hebrew raised an Egyptian prince; he was later called to lead his people out of slavery," Ben's voice had already struck its thoughtful, story-telling mode. "Jonah had been called to save a city from their own corruption; a prophet sent by God."/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" "Yeah, of course," Derek answered with a yawn. The two Gates got the impression he hadn't even been paying attention. /span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" "In any case, I see the two of you have enjoyed a dinner already and pleasant conversation – I'll be right back, Jamie; let you say good night." Her brother knew the look in her eyes better than anyone in the world, and he knew when she needed rescuing from a ridiculous date. /span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" With a relaxed smile, Ben made his way into the kitchen. Jamie turned to Derek, trying very hard not to look relieved. "Well, um…Sorry we have to cut it short, but…I haven't seen my brother in so long, you know?" /span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" Ben smirked inside the kitchen, leaning right against the doorpost to listen, barely out of sight. /span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:  
150%" /span/strong/p 


End file.
